Life Explorers Series: The Magic of Migration – Orange Audubon Society
Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EDT
Mead Botanical Garden, 1300 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park · Winter Park, FL
About this event
Join Us! Life Explorers Speaker Series: The Magic of Migration – Orange Audubon Society Did you know that Mead Botanical Garden is a favorite rest stop on the migration pathway for dozens of species of birds each year? Just like your favorite hotel on a well-traveled route, hundreds of warblers, tanagers and other songbirds find Mead Botanical Garden to be a welcome place to rest, feed and feel safe on their journeys. Kathy Rigling, the Education Coordinator for Orange Audubon Society and a Florida Master Naturalist, and Susan Thome-Barett, Education Chair and Bird Chat team member, will explain the twice a year migration patterns that bring birds here for a nurturing community space as they make their way from north to south and back every early fall and spring. They will highlight special places in the garden where birds can be spotted and will offer tips on where and when to see them. The migrating birds fly at night and factors such as wind, temperature, and storms can affect their flight habits. They will also point out the habitats of some of Mead’s year-round resident birds such as Barred Owls and hummingbirds for birders to spot as they walk the garden. To help you enjoy more birds in your own backyard, Rigling will offer tips on how to attract different species using native plants, water features, and feeders to create an inviting habitat. Kathy Rigling, a UCF grad, has been the nature coordinator for Wekiva youth camp since 2015 and served a 35-year career as a middle school science teacher for Orange County Public Schools She shas been the Education Coordinator for Orange Audubon since 2022.She leads field trips and bird surveys and is on the Audubon Society Bird Chat team which produces weekly Zoom programs. Susan Thome-Barrett is a retired Physical Therapist who fell in love with birds after watching Black Skimmers feeding in the waters at Cape Canaveral National Wildlife Refuge. She helps teach classes on improving birding skills, assists with lead field trips and is a founding member of the OAS Bird Chat team. Topic: The Magic of Migration – Orange Audubon Society Speaker: Kathy Rigling & Susan Thome-Barrett, Orange Audubon Society Date: Thursday October 15, 2026 Doors open: 9:30 A.M. Program Time: 10:00 – 11:30 A.M. Location: Azalea Lodge, Mead Botanical Garden, 1300 S. Denning Drive Winter Park, FL (See map for location) Cost: Free – Join us for refreshments and conversation The Life Explorers Speakers Series is held in the Azalea Lodge of Mead Botanical Garden from 10-11:30 a.m. The program is free of charge with light refreshments and coffee served.
Event details
- Date and time
- Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EDT
- Venue
- Mead Botanical Garden, 1300 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park · Winter Park, FL
- Category
- Arts & culture
- Cost
- Cost not stated
- Age guidance
- Age guidance not specified
- Format
- In person
- Last verified
- October 7, 2026
Accessibility
Wheelchair: Not stated
Assistive Listening: Not stated
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